Today the House finally passed House HB 2804 authored by House Public Education Committee Chairman Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen. This bill makes significant changes to the state's school accountability system. In recent years, critics have lamented the over-reliance on state standardized exams in the state accountability system, which has resulted in a system that does not comprehensively evaluate school performance. This large scale standardized state exam emphasis has unintentionally narrowed the focus of teaching and learning across the state. The Aycock bill reduces the use of state standardized test results in the school accountability system and expands the use of other indicators of student success and school performance. The bill provides the accountability “next steps” to the landmark legislation passed in 2013 in HB 5.
Under language added to the bill by the House Public Education Committee, school campuses across Texas would be rated annually with letter grades of A through F, using student test scores and other measures. The bill received a total of eight adopted amendments between second and third readings. One of the adopted amendments would make “C” in addition to “A or B” an exemplary, recognized, or acceptable performance. Also during debate, a broad coalition of representatives from both parties and all points on the political spectrum offered amendments to strip the A-F language while retaining the preferred accountability language. Those amendments were narrowly defeated after extended debate.
HB 2804 was passed out of the House with 102 ayes and 26 nays. The bill will now move over to the Senate side for further consideration.